The Colorado Legislature next year will lose three of its top education experts who have decades of experience between them.

Sen. Keith King announced today he won’t challenge his fellow Colorado Springs Republican, Bill Cadman, in next year’s primary. A new legislative map pairs the veterans in the same Senate district.

“The loss of Keith King in this institution is significant,” Cadman, the Senate minority leader, said in a statement. “His knowledge of state education issues is without equal. I am humbled by his support and am going to miss my colleague, my mentor and my friend.”

Republicans and Democrats alike today praised their contributions. All three lawmakers formerly served in the House together before being elected to the Senate, where they serve on the Senate Education Committee. Bacon is the chair.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney will be in Denver on Friday to speak at an event for a charity that helps recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.

According to Shannon Ulrich, a spokeswoman for Phoenix Multisport, the charity hosting Cheney, the event is part of the former vice president’s national book tour.

“The event is by invitation only and closed (to) press,” Ulrich said. “This is an interview with the vice president conducted by Mrs. Lynne Cheney and includes a signed copy of Mr. Cheney’s new book, “In My Time,” but he will not be signing any books at the event.

“The event is Friday in Denver. Due to security, the location is not being disclosed to non-registered guests.”

The final verdict won’t be rendered until as late as 2020, but here’s a quick take on the early winners and losers from the reapportionment process in Colorado, which wrapped up yesterday following Supreme Court approval of Democratic legislative maps.

WINNERS1. Democrats
After the court rejected bipartisan maps based primarily on creating “competitive” districts, they returned with a map that not only knocks out GOP incumbents but increases the number of seats where both sides theoretically have a shot at winning. Dems think that, in battle for the middle, they stand a great chance of winning back the House and holding the Senate. A skeptic might say they have a very good idea based on prior election results and computer modeling that more districts will break their way.

2. Wellington Webb
The former Denver Mayor, after stumbling at one point in claiming Arapahoe County minorities in one district were all coming from a jail, rebounded to create minority-influence districts. A notable accomplishment was diluting Stapleton neighborhood’s impact on northeast Denver politics (see losers, below).

3. Scott Martinez
The young lawyer was instrumental behind the scenes in legislative reapportionment (and out front in congressional redistricting). It’s fair to say that the Holland & Hart attorney’s star, if not his hourly rate, is on the rise in Democratic circles.

Gov. John Hickenlooper’s comments today on new legislative boundaries might not sit well with some of his fellow Democrats.

Asked about the reapportionment process, where Republicans accused Democrats of being “vindictive” with their new House and Senate maps, Hickenlooper said, he was “disappointed” in the process. He specifically referred to the primary races where some lawmakers will be forced to run against each other.

“Some of the people that I enjoy working with are probably not going to be able to stay in the legislature,” he said.

Democrat Wellington Webb and Republican Mario Nicolais had a dinner bet on what would happen with the latest round of legislative maps submitted to the Colorado Supreme Court.

Webb thought the maps — ripped by Republicans as “vindictive” — would stand. Nicolais thought the justices would, once again, send the Democratic-drawn maps back to the Colorado Reapportionment Commission for more work. The two are considered the most partisan members on the commission.

COLORADO TALKERSAurora as red-headed stepchild
In a state where consciousness of cool is a finely honed art — from hippie-tinged Boulder to the snow-clad condo culture of the mountains — Aurora is widely dismissed as a desert, entirely devoid of culture, cachet and clout. New York Times

Parties spar on new legislative maps
Following a Colorado Supreme Court decision Monday, Democrats were excited about their chances of retaking the state House in 2012, though Republicans warned against measuring for drapes in the speaker’s office just yet. Denver Post

What grade for your school?
A coalition of 18 community organizations has launched a nearly $1 million Internet-based project that translates state rankings of public schools into simple letter grades. Denver Post

Mayor pushes for end to automatic pay increases
An attempt by Mayor Steve Bach to suspend what he calls “automatic” pay increases for city employees led to a tense exchange with some City Council members Monday. The Gazette

Stepping up after Schrager moves on
As the election cycle moves into higher gear, a mob of local newspaper, TV and online sites (not least The Post’s The Spot), are jostling for your attention, riding Colorado’s importance in the 2012 race. The most obvious battleground is on TV, where political reporters are angling to fill the hole left by the most prominent member of their pack. Adam Schrager, formerly of 9News, is greatly missed. Denver
Post

Lamborn urges TriCare at leased Memorial hospital
U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn urged the Colorado Springs City Council to make a commitment to accepting TriCare a core standard in deciding who wins the lease for city-owned Memorial Health System. The 5th Congressional District has the second-highest number of TriCare beneficiaries of any district in the country, Lamborn told the council, and Memorial accepts more TriCare patients than any other non-military institution west of the Mississippi River. The GazetteRead more…

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.